Airport politics takes centre stage in UP

New Delhi: Keeping in mind its plunging popularity in Uttar Pradesh (UP), the Samajwadi Party government has extended support to Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) supremo Ajit Singh’s drive to revamp seven airports, which are in a ramshackle state.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh’s focus on improving the condition of the airports in the state is expected to benefit RLD in western UP.

After assuming charge as Civil Aviation Minister in 2011, Singh had started his drive to modernize the poor airport infrastructure in the state. But Akhilesh government kept thwarting it by one mean or the other.

With the general elections round the corner, the SP has seemingly realized that creating any further hitches in Ajit Singh’s campaign to refurbish these airports can prove detrimental to its electoral prospects in the state.

Now, Akhilesh government has not only decided to support Ajit Singh’s drive but also come into an agreement with the Airport authority over the renovation work. Now, the hurdles in upgradation of these seven small airports have been removed.

The development work of Meerut, Moradabad and Bareilly airports is expected to directly benefit the RLD. Similarly, the revamp of Kanpur, Allahabad, Faizabad and Agra airports can help the SP consolidate its plummeting vote bank.

Initially, Ajit Singh had stressed on the need to modernize the Mathura airport falling in his son Jayant Singh’s constituency but the SP government had rejected his proposal.

After this snub, Ajit Singh sought to provide land in the Civil Enclave area of Agra for the expansion of airport. However, the government also cold-shouldered this proposal.

Ajit Singh’s repeated attempts to develop airports in Uttar Pradesh have been time and again discarded by Akhilesh government in the past. Thereby Ajit Singh started to say that Akhilesh government is creating hurdle in development of airports in the state.